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Athlete Spotlight: Stephanie Returns to Team VPA for Year Three

Athlete Spotlight: Stephanie Returns to Team VPA for Year Three

At Team Vegan Powered Athlete, we celebrate athletes who embody resilience, compassion, and the belief that strength comes from living your values. That’s exactly why we are excited to welcome Stephanie back to Team VPA for her second year.


Stephanie is a vegan, physical therapist, and mom of two daughters who is passionate about living a life that demonstrates strength, kindness, and perseverance. Her journey is not only about athletic performance but about showing the next generation what is possible.


“I’m a vegan, physical therapist mom of two daughters and now a plant powered Ironman! I want to show my girls you can be a strong woman, do anything you set your mind to, and always be kind to all kinds.”


In 2025, Stephanie achieved a huge milestone by becoming a vegan powered Ironman. It was the culmination of years of dedication to endurance sport and a powerful example of what is possible on a vegan lifestyle. After that achievement, she began exploring new ways to challenge herself through strength training and running, continuing to grow both physically and mentally.


But life had other plans.


In May, Stephanie’s world was suddenly turned upside down when she was involved in a serious car accident. The injuries were extensive and life-altering. She suffered a fractured sternum and ribs, pneumonia, a knee lesion and hematoma, a concussion, and significant psychological trauma.


The road since then has been less about racing and more about healing.


“This year has been about healing and trauma therapy.”


For many athletes, setbacks like this could easily lead to stepping away from sport. But Stephanie’s story is not about giving up. It is about resilience, patience, and rebuilding from the ground up.


Even while navigating recovery, Stephanie continues to hold onto the mindset that first brought her to endurance sports. The desire to grow. The drive to try her best. The commitment to show her daughters that strength is not just about finishing races but about how you respond when life gets hard.


As she continues the healing process, Stephanie remains hopeful about returning to racing.


“But I still want to motivate myself, try my best, and I’m hoping you’ll see me out there in 2026 sometime!”


That spirit is exactly what makes Stephanie such an inspiring member of Team VPA. Her journey reminds us that endurance is about far more than finish lines. It is about courage, compassion, and the determination to keep moving forward even when the path changes.


We are proud to have Stephanie back for another year with Team Vegan Powered Athlete, and we look forward to supporting her as she continues her recovery and works toward her next chapter in sport.


Stephanie’s story is a powerful reminder that strength takes many forms, and sometimes the greatest victories happen long before race day.


Welcome back to Team VPA, Stephanie. We’re honored to be part of your journey.

MEET SOME OF OUR TEAM MEMBERS

In 2022 we had 100 Team Members. BE APART OF THE FAMILY AND SHARE YOUR STORY

Meet Team VPA member Renee @runtrails_eatplants . It is her second year on the team and she has been helping out behind the scenes on our IG @team_vpa and our FB pages"Life is too short to stay inside your comfort zone, reach for the sky. I’m Renee and I am an ultrarunner living outside Atlanta, Georgia. 14 years ago, I went plant based for my health and I never looked back. After a bad foot injury, I discovered I loved lifting as much as I love running the trails. So, at the age of 50 I added lifting heavy to my training plan. I am passionate about spreading the message that age is no limit and you can not only thrive on a plant-based diet, you can help end animal cruelty and have a positive impact on the environment too. So, get out there and go for it!"

Welcome to the team@monica.strattonSport: Triathlon, Cycling, Running

"I have struggled for my entire life with food. It seems everything I ate made me feel sluggish or sick. My husband and I decided to try the vegan lifestyle and we have never felt better. My digestive system is running so much better and I feel I have more sustainable energy through my workouts and life. Being vegan has helped me fuel better for all my races and training.
I am very proud to be a vegan athlete. I have seen what it has done for me and my performance in all my sports. I want to share my story of how being vegan has changed my life in terms of how I feel on a daily basis and in sport. Being a professional athlete my students look to me and how I live my life and I am very proud to tell them how much better my body feels being vegan "

Welcome back@rjsacksVeganism saved my dad's life many years ago. He had horrible blockages in his heart and faced stents and a very dangerous operation, or seeing what would happen if he went whole food no oil plant based. He reversed his heart disease and is healthy as ever and still vegan. He never needed heart surgery. He is now 61 years old and still doing distance cycling rides. I started changing what I was eating during high school when my dad switched his diet. I made the complete switch after I met my boyfriend, a collegiate vegan runner at the time. I was mostly looking at veganism through a health lens until I met him and he helped me face the ethical dilemmas of eating animal products as well. Since I went vegan, my sister went vegan, my mom went vegetarian almost plant based, and my brother (who I thought would never change) has cut a significant amount of meat and dairy from his diet. My dad, boyfriend and I are all vegan cyclists currently. My whole immediate family is very open to veganism and eats vegan at family gatherings. Being vegan has been easy with supports like mine.
I feel strongly about spreading a positive message and hopefully helping make a change. Veganism saves so many animals, it can save people like my dad, and can save our planet. I can show other athletes that vegans aren't frail and sickly, we can compete and do well without eating animal products.

Welcome to the team@prost_1969I had high cholesterol high blood pressure and was 40 lbs over weight. The doctor said statins for the rest of my life because high cholesterol was in my family so I took things into my own hands. Since then I lost the 40 lbs and reversed all the other issues . I now also realize the impact going vegan has on the animals and the environment. I love cycling and running and by joining the team I can reach more people and show them that you can’t just survive without the use of animal products but thrive!!

Meet Team VPA athlete Shari. We are glad she joined us Meet“Hi team, this is my first year with Team VPA. I'm overjoyed to have found this team. I adore the mission statement because it reflects my beliefs too. I'm 48 years young, a small business owner, yogi, group fitness instructor, and outdoor enthusiast. My primary sport is Triathlon, but running will always be my first love with more than 6 marathons under my belt. Vegan for over 15 yrs. Before that vegetarian for 3 years. My biggest vegan athlete accomplishment was completing my first Ironman last year after many years doing Triathlons. This year I'm looking forward to enjoying long cycling tours in Europe! Follow my adventures on IG @sparks_vegan”

We are so glad you joined us@barefootjei"My name is Jérémie alias@barefootjei, I'm 28 years old and I'm from Normandy in France.

I have been vegan for 3 years now. I'm vegan for the animals! I'm so happy to have joined the team and to wear our colors in my country.

In 2022 I will be running every day to raise funds that will be donated to two Vegan associations.

My goal for 2022 is a 55km in May and another probably longer race by the end of the year."

"My name is Gloria Perez and I live in sunny Southern California. This is the first year I'm on Team VPA. I have been vegan for 4.5 years. I made the switch after my son inspired me. Becoming vegan has been one of the best decisions I've made for my health and of course for the animals and for the planet we all share. I have 3 sons and 2 grandsons. I've been running for 8 years. I've ran many distances, but my favorite distance is the half marathon. I enjoy both road and trail running. I also enjoy backpacking, cycling, lifting weights, OCR and traveling. One of my goals for this year is to start racing duathalons. I'd also love to do R2R2R (Grand Canyon). I'm also currently learning to speak French. "